How to Tune Alpine Skis

Keeping your skis tuned and working in peak condition can cost a few hundred dollars a year at a professional shop. However, with the right equipment, you can reduce outside help to having the shop do a stone grind once a year. By tuning your skis at home, you can keep your edges sharp and have a waxed ski that is matched to the temperature you will be skiing at. Properly tuning your skis requires a few tools.

Things You'll Need

  • Bench with ski clamps
  • P-tex candle
  • Diamond stones (rough, fine)
  • Side edge bevel guide
  • Base edge bevel guide
  • File
  • Clamp
  • Waxing iron
  • Wax
  • Plastic scraper
  • Polishing cloth
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Instructions

  1. Base Repair

    • 1

      Clamp one of your skis in the ski clamps with the bottom facing up.

    • 2

      Examine the ski bottom for gouges. Use the p-tex candle to fill any gouges in by holding the candle to a lighter right above the gouge and dripping some p-tex into the gouge.

    • 3

      Use the plastic scraper to smooth the melted p-tex into the gouge.

    Edges

    • 4

      Run your finger along the edges of the ski from front to back, looking for any burrs. Use the rough diamond stone to smooth out any major burrs, and the fine diamond stone to create a fine, smooth edge.

    • 5

      Clamp the file to the side edge bevel guide. Remove the ski from the clamp and switch its position so that the ski is facing edge up and reclamp it.

    • 6

      Using smooth strokes from tip to tail, run the side edge bevel guide along the ski edge to sharpen your edges on the side facing up.

    • 7

      Loosen the ski and reclamp it with the other edge facing up. Repeat the edge sharpening with the side edge bevel guide.

    • 8

      Reclamp the ski the with the bottom facing up.

    Waxing

    • 9

      Plug in the waxing iron and turn it on, allowing it to preheat.

    • 10

      Ideally, wax should be chosen based on the temperature of the snow. If you are unsure what the temperature will be, or expect major variations, err on the side of waxing to the colder side of the spectrum. Using a warm temperature wax on cold snow will make the ski feel like it is stuck to Velcro.

    • 11

      Crayon on the wax onto the ski, going from tip to tail.

    • 12

      Run the waxing iron along the bottom of the ski, moving from tip to tail, to heat the crayoned-on wax and smooth it onto the base. Allow the wax to cool overnight.

    • 13

      Use the plastic scraper to remove excess wax. Take the polishing cloth and polish the remaining wax on the base.